A Superior Court judge at Middletown has awarded $ 3.5 million in damages to Ajai Bhatia, whose former fiancee falsely accused him of sexually abusing their daughter during a bitter custody dispute five years ago.
The accusations cost Bhatia his $100,000-a-year engineering job and his house, and caused him to spend tens of thousands of dollars in a prolonged legal battle to clear his name.
Bhatia faced the humiliation of being escorted out of his office at Pitney-Bowes, Shelton in handcuffs, accused of being a pedophile. He spent four days in jail. He endured a long criminal trial, was acquitted of sexual assault charges resulting from his fiancée's complaint and has been the subject of multiple child-abuse investigations involving the state Department of Children and Families.
Now the large monetary award is little solace to Bhatia, who believes that he will probably never recover anywhere near that amount from his former fiancée, Marlene Debek of Bridgeport. And the accusations have damaged his relationship with his daughter, now 9.
Superior Court Judge Julia L. Aurigemma found that Debek had no probable cause to accuse Bhatia of a crime. "She did so with malice in that her motive was to harm the plaintiff and keep him from having any contact with their daughter," Aurigemma wrote. "In the custody battle, Ms. Debek used the claim of sexual abuse as the final weapon in her arsenal against Mr. Bhatia when her other weapons, false-claims of physical violence and danger of [his] flight to India, were not effective."
Aurigemma awarded Bhatia $2.5 million in damages for his emotional distress, loss of reputation and humiliation, which she said was "staggering."
"It is difficult to imagine anything worse than being falsely accused of sexually assaulting your own child and having the accuser brainwash the child into believing the false allegations," Aurigemma wrote in her ruling.
The judge gave Bhatia an additional $500,000 for his loss of income, $410,000 in punitive damages and $130,000 for attorney's fees from his initial criminal trial. Bhatia was represented in the malicious prosecution case by New Haven attorney John R. Williams.
I don't mean to disturb you but I really want people to be aware about that
subject, because today, tomorrow, in the next half hour, it could happen to
us too!
Imagine if you were suddenly accused of being a child molester.....
Imagine if nobody believed you when you cried out that you were innocent....
Imagine if you were separated from your children and sent to prison for
life....
Some people don't have to imagine. It really happened to them !
Please read those people stories and then make your own decision !
1. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/452154813
2. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/470628250?ltl=1152942335
3. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/512966888?ltl=1154759759
Last year over two million American families were falsely accused of child
abuse!!!
Please don't just say no, give it a chance,please. True inof, some local
media avenues are already shedding light on this, but we need a bigger voice
or it won't change. Someone the PEOPLE will listen to,
Sincerely
Suncana Sesic Alvarado
In response to Suncana Sesic Alvarado
comment, I do not have to imaginge such things, I too am a victim of false allegations of molesting my daughter in 1991. I have lost my daughter and my career. I suffer daily with depression, regret, and deep anger that I have a difficult time fathoming. I have lived 16 yrs with these feelings and have thought on a few occassions of ending my own life. The rage I feel towards my exwife, so called "porfessional therapists" who manipulated my daughter and angry at my defense councel for not believing me. I spent over 3 yrs locked up (through plea bargining) for something I did not do. I bargined for my daughter's sanity and suffering, for my sanity and to help put an end to the emotional toture my daughter and I were suffering. I feel the humiliation daily and wanting to hide from society. I am unable to function socially and cannot maintain productive employment. My situation is complicated and the story intensly involved. I have not been exhonorated from these charges. Even entering my word in this comment angers me further.
It is no comfort to me to know that there are others like me. I was caught in the shadow of the "Witch Hunt" proceeding 2 famous mass molestation cases in California; The McMartin trial of the mid 80's and Dale Akiki case of the early 90's. Society was appalled tha it branded accused people gulity well before the trial and facts were out.
I often fantasize of vindication but not revenge from this. What I plea bargined for was for my daughter and yes, for myself to be truthful, for I had reached the breaking point of what I could handle emotionally. My daughter's life was disrupted and destroyed by the same system that was in place to protect her along with what I believe was my exwife's thirst for vengence for the faliure of her 3rd marriage. My daughter was her weapon.
Something needs to be done to stop this disturbing process. Stop the destruction of families and father-daughter relationships immediatly !!!!!!!!
I too have been tortured by a former wife who has used this disgusting and evil tool to manipulate the courts to her advantage. This possibly is the most inhumane thing one person can perpetrate on another as it takes away the child we love so much. My story is way to long, sick and demented to list out for you everything in detail here and I have only until May of 2008 to reopen my case and to fight her or I will loose for ever my rights. Money is the only thing that keeps that from happening for me. I would need investigators and lawyers and I don't have the money. I assure you, my story is real and it has been immensely painful to endure, it's as there is no justice in the world for an honest loving father when a very mentally sick wife, who has had a two and a half year on going affair, can simply make an accusation, without the child ever saying a word against his father, and because one doesn't have the financial resources to fight her in the courts, one looses everything that is the most dear to him.
I too have been tortured by a former wife who has used this disgusting and evil tool to manipulate the courts to her advantage. This possibly is the most inhumane thing one person can perpetrate on another as it takes away the child we love so much. My story is way to long, sick and demented to list out for you everything in detail here and I have only until May of 2008 to reopen my case and to fight her or I will loose for ever my rights. Money is the only thing that keeps that from happening for me. I would need investigators and lawyers and I don't have the money. I assure you, my story is real and it has been immensely painful to endure, it's as there is no justice in the world for an honest loving father when a very mentally sick wife, who has had a two and a half year on going affair, can simply make an accusation, without the child ever saying a word against his father, and because one doesn't have the financial resources to fight her in the courts, one looses everything that is the most dear to him.
I have gone through similar false accusations with my daughter that Mr. Bhatia did, only I was accused of choking my daughter. My X has history of making false accusation of abuse all the way back to when she was 11 y/o with her stepfather, in 1994 with her 1st xhusband (2 domestics and 1 Child abuse), then me on Aug 5, 2005. She wanted me out to the house because she had been having an affair and the new boyfriend was to move in that weekend, and did. Since that time I have seen my daughter once on Christmas Eve 2006. I have taken her to court (for contempt) in March 2007, settled because she promised she would let me visit and she would not deny me access to daughter. Of course, that was a lye. I currently call 2-3 times per week to speak with daughter, no answer phone, no response to my msg, has even got daughter saying that she doesn't want to go with me on visits. She did the same to her 1st X and the court found her in contempt and warned her. In Iowa, the court system does nothing to women who deny fathers access to their own children for visitation, but they will slap a man in jail for not paying support or being late. Here, they even take your license. Thats a smart move, take the license so can't go look for work, go to work etc, etc. DUH!!!! Anyway, I can't get a lawyer to help me because I don't have any money after fighting the child abuse charges. Even if you beat them in Court, the DHS is still going to put you on the Child abuse Registry for 10 years. I am currently trying to appeal that. DHS's investigation consisted of talking to one person 3 months after my arrest, my X. That's it! In Iowa they are not interested in the right thing to do, or justice, they are interested in numbers, so they can say, "see, we are doing something about abuse in our state". This is and has totally ruined my reputation as a paralegal in this state (been a paralegal for 17+ years). Certain humiliation, depression, emotionally and mentally abused, and have even been spat on. What's next? How many more men are on that list that shouldn't be. I know of at least one more, my X's first xhusband. If anyone knows a lawyer that is interested in justice in the DSM, IA area, that works for peanuts, or free or will work for any suite money, please provide info ASAP. Thanks.
My husband was falsely accused and CONVICTED of molesting our grandchild. The child's mother was diagnosed in her teen years as socio-pathic, anti-social. When she was 14 she accused a man of rape, he spent two years in prison and she finally recanted. But his life was ruined.
We were attempting to gain custody of her child when accusations suddenly surfaced.
The legal system pegged my husband as guilty before even hearing or side...they never let the truth into court, "lost" evidence, falsified medical reports and withheld evidence for over two years (evidence that was the basis for charging my husband of such a terrible crime).
We have fought the legal system here in Idaho for over two years and have been fighting back by getting our story into the local newspapers by writing letters to the editor. We MUST educate the public and pray that our stories will be heard...that someone, somewhere will hear us and actually be willing to help.
Ten minutes ago a friend of mine called to tell me that people were "tired of hearing about it".....
Oh my gosh, Can you imagine? I ask these people who are tired of hearing about it to think about this...what if it were their husband, wife, son, daughter that was falsely accused of such a horrendous crime...what if it was them that lost literally everything, their home, their livilihood, their families, the respect of the community all because of a lie???
How would they feel if they were told to shut up because people, who pretend to be their friends, were "tired of hearing about it?"
Well, I WON'T shut up... I will continue to broadcast the fact that false accusations happen all the time... innocent people are being sent to prison, some for LIFE....
Do we just shut up because people are tired of hearing about it. Hell no.
I will continue until SOMEONE listens...We all need to band together and get national attention until the sexual abuse hysteria subsides and the legal system actually listen to the other side of the story...
please, if anyone wants to band together and write to the media as a whole, please please write to me and I will do my best to organize us into one voice that insists upon being heard...
Connie Molen... I am a member of F.A.S.T.
False Allegations Solutions Team...
I welcome emails from anyone who has been falsely accused of a sex crime.
As a member of F.A.S.T./False Allegations Solutions Team I am trying, along with others around the U.S. to get our stories heard. People MUST be educated and stop hiding their heads in the sand because it could happen to anyone at any time. Mind you, we DO recognize that real sex abuse does happen and it is reprehensible
BUT false allegations happen also..more often than we would like to think about.
Please fell free to contact me and together we may make a difference..we may be able to save a life.
Connie Molen email: molens1@netscape.com
I recently have been falsely charged by my ex-girlfriend of sexual abuse. I was setup by her because she's mad that we broke up, that I refuse to see her and refuse to deal with her abuse. She kept calling me or practically harassing me to meet up with her and to go over to her place. I gave in one night and that was my big mistake. I was naive to not know the police can arrest someone so easily because of another person's lies. I believe she's borderline bipolar... that should of been my red flag.
What can I say, it is a sad thing that happened to me and it is still happening.
My X uses my daughters as tools to hurt me and stop me from having visitation with them. Whenever I plan a trip with the kids even for 2 days, she goes ahead and puts a TPO, calls DFACS and makes allegations.
The last one was a week ago and the forensics verdict was that there was "No Outcry" from the child.
She is a monster who is coaching the kids and creating a rift between me and the kids.
Ultimately all she wants is more money, money & money!!!.
Is there no end to this?
Hopefully women like this should be convicted for crimes for virtually killing another human. It is an indirect manslaughter.
Every time I see my daughters, I have a tough time even hugging them as all these allegations surface in my mind.
What can I say, it is a sad thing that happened to me and it is still happening.
My X uses my daughters as tools to hurt me and stop me from having visitation with them. Whenever I plan a trip with the kids even for 2 days, she goes ahead and puts a TPO, calls DFACS and makes allegations.
The last one was a week ago and the forensics verdict was that there was "No Outcry" from the child.
She is a monster who is coaching the kids and creating a rift between me and the kids.
Ultimately all she wants is more money, money & money!!!.
Is there no end to this?
Hopefully women like this should be convicted for crimes for virtually killing another human. It is an indirect manslaughter.
Every time I see my daughters, I have a tough time even hugging them as all these allegations surface in my mind.
Another Father; OMG this is happening to me. I can't even look at my children, then it's Christmas time. They have admitted to the police they're mother told them to say it. The police took a report the Family Court Services has a copy and nothing!I am so frustrated my son is so screwed up. Merry Christmas to everyone and good luck stay positive to allow yourself to lose.
I can think of no circumstance in which you can make it o.k. After being accused your life is ruined, your joy with your children has been stolen, your time on this earth has been tinted with some fake shame, and anger. People want to readily believe anything that they hear and will move against someone with no proof or care as to the consequence of the child and life in question. What manner of evil is this?
I have read this because I too was accused of abuse while in the military and even though the state hospital said that there were no signs of abuse the military took up the charges and convicted me. I spent several years in a military prison for something i didnt do. The whole time i was in there i was receiving letters from family on that side who found out the truth. They said the boy claimed these things because he was angry i wouldnt take some of his friends with us to the mall. He was 8 years old at the time but had been brought up in a very bad family and was exposed to everything on television. I'm not mad at him because he was just a child but it dosnt change the fact that i have to sign up as a sex offender for the rest of my life. I still have the letters from that side of the family saying that the boy says hes sorry for lieing on me and that he didnt know it would get me in trouble. I never did anything but what has been done has been done. My biggest worry now is how am i supposed to settle down and start a family of my own? What woman wants to be with someone accused of what i was? I still have the letters i was sent in prison and could show her everything but its something im very sensitive to.
It breaks my heart to hear these stories of false allegations. To update our situation..my husband, who was falsely accused, has now been sentenced. The judge calmly pronounced a twenty year sentence.
Although we are appealing, he will, more than likely spend at least three years in prison.
There are so many who are quick to judge and express much glee in hearing this sentence... those are people who have refused to look at the evidence, study the court transcripts and read the fourteen times the little girl admitted to not telling the truth, admitted she couldn't remember what she has previously said and told police and hospital personnel, Fourteen times during her cross exam! And he mother continues to lambast me and my husband, spreading her lies about us and trying to illicit sympathy. Our lives have been destroyed and still she shows no mercy. This is the shame of it.
I was acussed of sexually molesting my 3 year old daughter April of 2007. I had filed for primary custody because my wife was a terrible mother and drunk and I kept track of every single day. She had a friend call children services and once the investigation was done and I was cleared I was reduced to only having joint custody of my little girl. Last week I filed another petition for custody and reduction of child support because I had my daughter 59% of the time last year and I am getting tired of the legal system being biased. Well Saturday, yesterday, February 23rd, 2008 she did it again. This time herself. She knows that I have a detailed schedule of her partying habits and getting me to watch my daughter and she is afraid to lose the money not the child. I have an attorney but I want to know what I can do to stop this madness. It is ridiculous that a parent's sex should be held against them for being chosen as the better parent. My first wife was the better parent at that point in my life when I was 23 so I didn't fight anything. I am glad to this day that I didn't take it to court because I get to see my oldest all the time and my ex and I have a great relationship. Someone please direct me where to turn.
i was accused of sexualy abusing my 5 year old daughter in may 2006 i was arrested spend four days in jail i was set free before the case even went to court as a D.A. reject i past a state administer lie detector test still the DCFS of California took my Daughter away from me and put her in the care of the persons that started all the allegations against me that was my stepdaughter and her boyfriend the motive they wanted to use the money they were going to get from my little girl to make payments on a house. To make the story short it took me two years and a lot of suffering to get my daugter back i got full custody . I need a good Lawyer who will take my case on contingency bases to take this people to court and clear my name and if i get anymoney
i will use to educate my little girl and to make sure this people dont do that to anybody again.
i was accused of sexualy abusing my 5 year old daughter in may 2006 i was arrested spend four days in jail i was set free before the case even went to court as a D.A. reject i past a state administer lie detector test still the DCFS of California took my Daughter away from me and put her in the care of the persons that started all the allegations against me that was my stepdaughter and her boyfriend the motive they wanted to use the money they were going to get from my little girl to make payments on a house. To make the story short it took me two years and a lot of suffering to get my daugter back i got full custody . I need a good Lawyer who will take my case on contingency bases to take this people to court and clear my name and if i get anymoney
i will use to educate my little girl and to make sure this people dont do that to anybody again.
Dear Suncana:
I found a strange email posted by a woman named Danielle Nicolosi Malmquist. I believe she is using your name and an email address she created with your name associated. The reason I'm so concerned this woman is using your pain and your advocacy is that she harmed her own children and will stop at nothing to harm any and everyone involved in protecting them. Please google her name and you will see why it is dangerous to to linked to this woman. She also falsely accused her ex husband of many crimes, but she was the criminal! Please continue your work. You are helping so many and we must fight for what is right.
Thank you for your time,
Jamie
My son was falsely convicted of molesting his 5yr old girl also. To stop him from getting custody of his child his ex was jelous because he wanted nothing to do with her after she cheated on him with 2 different men. he moved on and found a better woman who really loves him, they got an apartment and then got pregnant. He has another baby who is only 2 this May, whom he has never met. Someone has to put an end to these witch hunts. I guess that When JUDGES SON OR SOMEONE IN A HIGHER POSITION WITH MONEY WILL FIND OUT THE HARD WAY. THEY NEED NO EVIDENCE. THEY NEED NO WITNESSESS ALL THEY NEED IS A BRAINWASHED CHILD AND A LIEING MOTHER. PLEASE STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING SOMEONE PLEASE!!. I AM HURTING SO BAD I CANT TAKE THE SADNESS OF THIS ANYMORE.
SHE WENT AS FAR AS SAYING HE WORE LIPSTICK AND A DRESS!! COME ON !!IS SOMEONE LISTENING!! Please hear our cries for justice. stop convicting our men so that mothers can have custody of their children Hello!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Darlene Kane
i have recently been accused of tring to molest my cousins stepdaughter the girl says there was no phisyical contact only that i tried to talk her into it. but her mother is throwing everything in the book into the story. it has not yet gone to court nor have the police came and talked to me yet. i do not know what to expect and will admit i am scared to death. i have lost all my family and my friends. ive been screaming for help but no one is listening.
i am seeking advice on what to expect. i do not know the process the courts take.and i do not know the process the police take. after reading all these stories i have lost all hope of coming out unharmed. can anyone give me advice?
I'm a victim being falsely accused of such charges as Rape and Incest of my supposedly daughter. Reason I said that is I recently found out that she's not mine and my ex-wife kept it from me for 14 years. My ex-wife has brainwashed her because I would not get back together with her and have moved on with my life. The problem with this while being locked up for 57 days I lost alot and now can't afford to pay an attorney 25,000 to properly represent me. My public defender has not done anything in 12 months. If anyone out there knows an attorney that is good and reasonable please send them my way. There is nothing in this case other than the two statements they have and it all started behind me catching my daughter on the web talking to overage boys. Shortly, after all this started to happen with the accusations. Reaching out for help is why I'm here on this site.
I can attest to what happened to this man. In July, 2005, my ex wofe was cheating on me with ehr own siste's fiance. her daufghter, then 18, conspired with her to get meout of the house by claiming I sexually abused her for 10 years. Its been 3 long years and I have lost everything. I lost my home, my wife(who I didn;t even know wqas cheating, my childfren, my home and pets and everythign i loved in life. Now 3 years latrer, it wil be proven that they are liars and i was set up - I did however get custody of mny 12 year old daughter bit lost my beloved step son in the process. I could care less how much money could be awarde and could care less about life as I have been hurt forever. Thank God fort supporters, family andgood people thgat have come forward to prove these liars and their motives
I too have been falsely accused of rape and lewd molestation. I am a 30 year old mother of one and I have been ripped away from my (now 9yr old son)and my life. Because of Matti Garcia, a so called DHS child welfare worker in Tulsa, misconstruded every word I said and made it sound as if I was a predator. She lied on the stand because she knew that DHS would be her cover. Never in my life would I have thought that this would happen to me. I have been a stand up citizen in Oklahoma all of my life and all it took was a deceitful 14 year old, his father, and the masked covering of OKDHS employees to have my families life dive into a tailspin. I have tried and tried to find someone, something that would blow the lid off of DHS and their heavely covered secrets that they hold to intell a witchhunt on the innocent. OKDHS has been in the wrong for so many years that they try to find anyone the can to accuse to make it seem as though they are doing a good job, when in fact they will lie and have lied to do it. I even worked with them and trusted them because I was ignorant to what distruction they can do and now they are trying to distroy me and family. The cover-ups of OKDHS are so massive all I can do is cry out to GOD himself to help me,my family and so many other that have been the victims of false accussationS of DHS.